


Bottom of the Bottle

by BaffledFox



Series: Beyond the Stars [5]
Category: Invader Zim, Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 03:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4944646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaffledFox/pseuds/BaffledFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just some character interaction between Sxi and Bit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bottom of the Bottle

"Bottom of the Bottle" 

/One-Shot/

 

It was another artificial night on Kyrn.

Business had been slow, and despite Sxi's best efforts he couldn't rope in a job. Not many ships had been docking on the station; it almost seemed desolate since Bit had grown used to the crowds of aliens everywhere and her usual employment. 

So quiet, everything had grown so quiet. 

She didn't like the quiet, didn't like not having a job. Without something to do her mind began to push up old memories and her new fear that she may never get off this space station. In her depressed state of mind she began to really think this was the end of her journey and she would never again see KT's face. 

"No," She chided to herself, still not entirely stable enough to keep from talking to herself, "That's not true. Sxi promised me a ship." Bit lifted her chin as the office came into view, righting her shoulders and trying to exert her usual dominant and sure air; but she wasn't feeling as confident as she appeared. 

In all honesty, could she really take Sxi's words at face value? 

She didn't trust him, and from that distrust came the thought that perhaps this was all a ruse. Maybe she would just be working for him for the rest of her life and that would be the end of it. 

She frowned to herself, not liking these new thoughts; wishing her for usual devil-may-care attitude that seemed to be nowhere in sight. 

But then again, it had been years. Too many horrible years and with each passing day her outlook began to look bleaker and bleaker. 

Without another thought Bit pushed aside the door to the office before closing it again behind her. Slowly she entered the dim space, her guard instantly going up from the lack of lighting. Sxi kept the place lit well into the night  normally working on his finances, trying to budget this and that in his log book. 

She rounded the corner and walked down the thin hall towards his usual work station; but once the desk came into view she noticed Sxi to be nowhere in sight, the paper work not even looking like it had been touched.

Alarm flowered in her chest a moment before she pushed it aside.

Who cared if something had happened to him?

Then again, he was her boss and she sort of had an obligation to care if he was alive or dead, right? 

That aside, he did owe her a ship, he wasn't allowed to die until his debt was paid. 

"Sxi?" Bit finally called into the silence, her voice gruff as usual but just a pitch higher as her lime colored eyes darted here and there, trying to find movement as she stepped into another room.

"In here." 

Bit followed his voice to the last room in the make-shift office, pushing the door the rest of the way open and being met with the sight of a half-naked Sxi lounging in a wooden chair near a short round table. 

Bit remained in the doorway, her eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of Sxi's bare chest; noticing the left side of his torso was covered in thick black characters in a language she didn't recognize. She frowned slightly, crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes finally came to rest on the male's red eyes, "What are you doing?" She asked flatly. 

Sxi shrugged, grinning slightly as his clawed hand reached for one of the many bottles on the table, lifting it to his lips and taking a long drink before he responded, "Drinking." 

Bit remained where she was, her antennae pulled back slightly. The panic was gone, and now restlessness bubbled over her original depression, she wanted to be somewhere else. She decided perhaps going up to the roof would be good to channel her thoughts. Without another word she turned to exit the room  having no inclination to be in the tipsy male's presence. 

"Hey wait!" He called, the bottle slamming down on the table a little harder than necessary as he got up from his chair, "Where ya' goin'?" 

Bit paused, glancing over her shoulder, "There's no reason for me to stay." She murmured in a low agitated tone, "I'm leaving."

"No, wait," Sxi said, gesturing towards the small space; the dim lighting casting a more than intimate feel, "Why don't you drink with me?" 

Bit turned, staring hard at Sxi's eyes, "I have other things to do." 

"No you don't." 

Bit frowned.

"You don't have a job," Sxi pointed out, "You're probably going to head up to the roof right? Stare at the sky and pine after whatever you're pinin' after, yeah?" He said easily, "Goin' up there alone is better than being down here with me?"

"Yes." She said easily, about to turn again when instead Sxi's hand clamped down on her arm. Bit growled in the back of her throat, about to make a move against him when his other hand grabbed at her other wrist; ultimately stopping her attack if only because she halted, confused by his actions. 

"C'mon," He attempted to coax, slowly releasing her, his claws lingering a bit too long on her flesh, "Just this once? Can we pretend we're friends?" 

Bit was quiet, staring at the male as he retreated back to his seat at the table. Once again he reached for the bottle, swinging it suggestively in her direction. "why?" She finally asked, not liking the turn of events at all. She sort of wished the original scenario of him being dead somewhere had played out.

"I'm lonely," Sxi said easily, though his grin suggested another meaning to the word, "You are too." 

"Lonely?" Bit scoffed, not thinking she was so easy to read and finding it annoying Sxi was sort of correct. She absently swung the door shut, remaining stationary in the room, "I am not." She finally spat defiantly. 

"Oh really?" Sxi didn't seem to care for her challenging air, remaining in his seat as he looked up at her, his red-pink eyes dancing, "Then why do you always go up and stare at the stars, huh?" 

"None of your business." She snarled.

"It's 'cause you're lonely." Sxi said again, "A drink might calm ya' down a bit, yeah?" 

Bit remained a foot or so from Sxi, still looking ready to kill but hesitating, her sharp lime colored eyes flicking to the bottle precariously held in Sxi's hand. 

Sxi grinned, kicking the chair next to him, "Sit." 

Bit reluctantly took a seat next to the male, still eyeing him and the unknown alcohol warily. 

"So," He started, waving the bottle towards her. Bit reluctantly grasped the neck of the glass jug but didn't yet take a drink, "What're you always moping about, huh?" 

She kept her frown, shifting in her seat to turn away from the male, her eyes flicking towards the door before she finally raised the bottle to her lips and drank. 

Sxi laughed, "Nothin' huh?" He grinned, "Imma thinkin' you mighta' left something important somewhere, right?" He kept his dancing eyes on her profile, noticing as her brow quivered in obvious upset, "Trying to forget about it here?" 

"I'm stuck," Bit didn't turn to him, absently licking her lips and tasting the remains of the tart liquid, "I need a ship." Her tone darkened, "You promised me a ship." She flicked her narrowed eyes at him, anger once again smoothing over the pain in her chest. 

"I know, I know," He said in a dismissive tone, attempting to keep things civil but Bit always had a nasty habit of attacking him  most the time without a reason. "You'll get one, it's just been slow, you've noticed." 

Bit's gaze landed back on the door, her expression not as hard as it normally was. She was painfully aware of how slow it had been  how quiet it was. She took another drink; enjoying the burn of heat down her throat, the strange alcohol warming her to her core and making her feel less depressed. 

Sxi leaned back in his seat, "So, you do have somethin' waiting for you then?" 

"Someone." 

Sxi grinned just slightly, "Some poor bastard piss you off enough to get revenge on, huh?" 

Bit didn't spare a glance to him, taking a sip of the burning liquid before she responded, "No," She murmured in a low hostile hiss, "My mate." The bite of her tone attempted to hide the emotion that tightened her throat. 

Sxi withheld his surprise; having assumed thus far Bit had some sort of vendetta against somebody, not entirely expecting the thing of importance to be somebody she wasn't eyeing to kill. Then again, Sxi had never witnessed the softer side of this Irken female(having assumed she just didn't have one) and now he was grossly intrigued, "Oh yeah?" 

"You?" She cut in, the word barely counting for a question but the inflection had been there under the blunt growl. 

Sxi didn't entirely expect Bit to elaborate further; despite his curiosity he allowed the change of subject, enjoying Bit's more stable mood. "Not no more," He murmured, offering a shrug before he replaced his empty bottle on the table, "She was Vortian, wasn't gonna work anyhow." 

Bit continued to look towards the door before she drank again; the liquid spreading through her body like liquid heat, making her feel a little light-headed. She had never tasted such a drink before; it was oddly addicting and very soothing. She felt her defenses slowly falling with each swig, but for some reason, she couldn't be bothered to care about it. 

She wanted an escape. 

Sxi eyed Bit's expression, noticing the unusual softness that played on her features. She was beginning to look less and less like the warrior she made herself to be, some light of innocence hiding behind her eyes. 

It almost felt like he was intruding on some personal moment. 

He rubbed the back of his neck almost in a nervous manner before he placed the half-empty bottle back on the table; the sharp sound it made caused Bit's antennae to twitch but her expression remained neutral.

"I was in love with her," Sxi started with no real prompt, trying to dismiss the silence, "She was a lot like you," He murmured with a slight grin, averting his eyes towards the closed door, "Harsh on the outside, but once you got past all the barbed wire, there was something beautiful there." 

Bit glanced to Sxi, taking in his words but not engaging him further; once again getting distracted by the alcohol in her hand. 

"Vortians and Irkens have a natural animosity," He continued, "I know it couldn't work forever, it was like trying to capture smoke," He said softly, setting his hands on his knees and taking in a quiet breath, "Just couldn't happen. So, the day she left; just vanished, I was sort of expecting it, but at the same time" He shook his head, "I don't know, I think I was just stupid for thinking we had somethin'." 

Bit leaned back against the table, the half-empty bottle held loosely in her talons. She had only half-listened to Sxi's story, not entirely caring to know his history, the added depth of him somehow making the air seem thicker, more intimate, it was making her uncomfortable. She didn't understand where he was going with his confession so she decided against commenting, remaining indifferent. 

Sxi sighed heavily, his burgundy eyes trained on Bit's profile, "So, this mate of yours, how long has it been?" A slight grin quirked his lips, leaning over the table, nearly popping into Bit's personal space, "You've been here for, what, nearly five years now, yeah?" 

Bit's brow furrowed, her lips pulling into a terse frown as she set her sharp eyes on him. She didn't need him feeding to her fears, she did that just fine on her own, "It doesn't matter." 

"Time matters," Sxi murmured, "It can make or break a relationship," He said, "It's not natural for mates ya'know, Irkens, we're not wired that way." 

Her antennae pulled back, warning enough he should stop talking. 

Sxi didn't catch on to the danger he was putting himself in, continuing to speak casually, the drink having dulled his nerves and intuition, leaving him vulnerable to the near-sober Bit, "I mean, I thought I was, I wanted to be, I was with her night and day an' all that," He gestured carelessly with his free hand, "But I was wrong, and I mean, I was with her whenever I could be, smothered 'er probably," He laughed, throaty and hollow, "But you, you," He pointed at Bit for emphasis, "You've been here, isolated, beyond that, isolated on that, eh, whatever planet it was ya' told me about," Sxi groused, "Years, upon years, you really think that whoever is still waiting?" 

Bit didn't like this, didn't like the doubts washing into her system, didn't like the icy chill suffocating her nerves. She got to her feet, feeling suffocated, needing out, needing to get anywhere

Sxi grabbed her wrist, yanking her towards him, "Hey" 

Bit lost her balance, emotionally distraught, alcohol numbing her natural reflexes; she tripped, falling awkwardly across Sxi's lap. Her breath sucked up into her lungs, choking her, her green eyes rooted to Sxi as if he were the cause of all her anguish, emotions splashed across her usually hard features  making her look vulnerable, young. 

"Hey," He said in a softer tone, attempting to comfort, his talons running smoothly up her wrist, along the curve of her arm, "I'm just sayin'," He murmured, his red eyes hooded, flicking to her gaze in an almost sincerely apologetic manner, "They might not be waiting, this might be all you got." 

His touch ignited her skin, confusing her, frazzling her already alcohol-saturated brain. 

She didn't like this. 

She didn't want this. 

"Stop it," She growled, her tone weak, almost pleading, "Stop it." She said again, stronger this time. 

Sxi's antennae perked forward, nearly showing humility until his stalks boldly brushed hers. 

Bit's eyes fluttered, clenching shut as their antennae tangled. 

Wrong. Wrong. This was wrong. 

Bit's purr was wrapped in a gurgling snarl, her claws flexing, needing to do something  wanting to do something. 

Sxi mistook Bit's agitation for compliance, twitching his feelers to gain further reaction; falling into the rare moment he believed he had coaxed Bit into. There was no denying his own attraction to Bit, drunk or sober, he wanted her. 

Bit felt repulsed by his rough calloused fingers as they raked up her skin, over her collar, her teeth clenched into a feral hiss. The tantalizing quivering of his stalks against hers left her body numb and wanting, but left her mind feeling dirty and violated. 

KT was waiting. 

KT was her mate.

KT was hers. 

KT was the only one allowed to touch her

Their antennae broke contact; the moment of clarity washing like acid in Bit's blood, forcing reaction as she swung the bottle still held in her hand, swinging it with full force in a terrifying arc towards Sxi. 

/Crack./ 

The bottle broke in a thousand shards against Sxi's skull, Sxi jerked sideways from the sheer force of the blow, Bit's weight kept Sxi from crumpling to the floor. 

Sxi's vision swam, black spots danced in front of his eyes, the throbbing pulse in his head stabbing beyond the pleasant numbness of alcohol. He groaned, gripping the edge of the table heavily for support, the world tilting at a horrid angle. 

"Don't touch me," Bit yelled, her voice cracking, leaping off Sxi, the broken bottle held dangerously in her hand, "Don't ever touch me." She growled in a low hostile snarl, her antennae pulled nearly flush against her skull despite their disfigurement, seeming ready for an attack, as if expecting Sxi to jump from his seat and attempt to take her. 

Sxi swayed in the chair, not cognitive enough to really understand what Bit was yelling at him about; the blow should have rendered him unconscious, it was a miracle he was still able to even look in her direction. Obviously words were beyond him, since no matter how many times he opened and closed his mouth no sound emitted. 

Bit's breathing was harsh and haggard as if she were fighting with something beyond Sxi, beyond herself, her shoulders hunched  ready to lunge. 

Sxi's eyes slipped shut, his brow furrowed, and then his body fell in a heap to the floor; landing solidly on the ground. Blood trickled steadily from the gash at the side of his temple, the purple liquid catching the dim light, looking like glossy obsidian. 

Bit eyed the unconscious Irken a long moment, a pain tickled her heart but she didn't understand why. She cared nothing for Sxi, and how dare he touch her like that  how dare he?! 

Telling her KT was not waiting, that KT did not care. 

She bared her teeth at his body, unintelligible pops and clicks snapping from her tongue; not decipherable Irken, but obviously offensive. 

The tension slowly unwound from Bit's muscles, leaving her deflated and feeling just as lonely as she felt earlier. She rolled the broken bottle in her hand as she stalked towards the door, wrenching it open. With an uncaring glance back to Sxi she slammed the neck of the bottle into the door, embedding it in the splintered wood as a warning for when he awoke. 

Whether Sxi would remember exactly what happened or not wouldn't matter, he should understand it just the same. 

If not, she'd be happy to inform him in the morning, perhaps give him another concussion for good measure.

With a sneer she slammed his door shut, intent on lurking on the roof and reassuring herself she was not as alone as she felt; one day she'd get that blasted ship, and one day she would travel the stars with her KT.


End file.
